The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has proposed a total budget of N873.78 billion for the conduct of the 2027 general elections, with significant allocations dedicated to election operations, technology, and capital expenditure.

INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, presented the proposal on Thursday before the Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committee on Electoral Matters at the National Assembly. He explained that preparations for the 2027 polls have already commenced in compliance with statutory requirements mandating that election funding be appropriated at least 360 days before the scheduled date.

The budget defence session was chaired by Simon Bako Lalong alongside his House of Representatives counterpart, Adebayo Balogun.

Amupitan stressed that early appropriation is critical to ensure proper planning and the seamless execution of nationwide elections.

Breakdown of Proposed Allocation

According to the summary presented, the proposed budget is structured into four major components:

• Election operations: N375.75 billion the largest share, covering activities directly related to conducting the polls.
• Election administrative costs: N92.31 billion.
• Election technology costs: N209.21 billion reflecting the Commission’s continued reliance on technology-driven processes.
• Election capital costs: N154.90 billion.

The four primary components total N832.17 billion. An additional N41.61 billion has been earmarked for miscellaneous expenses, bringing the grand total to N873.78 billion.

Amupitan noted that the capital component is significantly higher than in previous budgets, explaining that several capital items not adequately captured in earlier appropriations have now been consolidated into the 2027 general election budget.

For transparency, he outlined the budget classification codes: election operations fall under codes 230101 to 230601; administrative costs under 230703 to 230812; technology costs under 230707 to 230811; capital costs under 230198 to 320201; while miscellaneous expenses are contained in code 230725.

He added that detailed explanations of the proposed expenditures including specific activities and cost items are contained on pages one to five of the submitted document.